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Climate Change News

Coal power stations to become ‘stranded assets’, UK climate rep warns

By: Terence Creamer 2nd November 2015 The UK Foreign Secretary’s Special Representative for Climate Change, Sir David King, warned on Monday that countries building new coal-fired power stations could well be building “stranded assets”. Speaking in Johannesburg on Monday, Britain’s former Chief Scientific Adviser, who was born and... →

Treasury publishes draft Carbon Tax Bill for public comment

By: Megan van Wyngaardt 2nd November 2015 The National Treasury on Monday published the draft Carbon Tax Bill, which could see a basic 60% tax-free threshold during the first phase of the carbon tax from implementation date up to 2020, for public comment. The draft Bill proposed an additional 10% tax-free allowance for process emissions,... →

Smallholder farmers must adapt to survive current times

By: Creamer Media Reporter 22nd October 2015 Focus on improving farm management and exploring high-yield farming methods have never been more important for smallholder farmers than at present, says FNB Agriculture information and marketing head Dawie Maree. In a statement released on Thursday, he stressed that the industry was facing its... →

S Africa’s CCS ambitions get funding boost

By: Natasha Odendaal 20th October 2015 South Africa’s ambitions of proving the viability of carbon capture and storage (CCS) have received a boost, with Norway committing to inject millions of rands into a World Bank-managed CCS fund focused on CCS projects in South Africa and Mexico. Norway Ambassador to South Africa Trine Skymoen... →

S Africa, Sweden partner on education, energy, environment

By: Megan van Wyngaardt 20th October 2015 South Africa and Sweden agreed to extend the Swedish-sponsored full scholarship programme, which provides the opportunity for study at a post-graduate level for South African students at Swedish tertiary institutions in a range of fields, until 2021. The agreement was signed during the ninth... →

Photo by Duane Daws
Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa

Local environmental head elected to IPCC working group

By: Megan van Wyngaardt 8th October 2015 eThekwini municipality Department of Environmental Planning and Climate Protection head Dr Debra Roberts has been appointed Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group II co-chair, marking the first time a South African has been selected to a co-chair position in the IPCC... →

Eco Mobility festival kicks off in Sandton

By: African News Agency 5th October 2015 The much anticipated traffic restrictions into Sandton, Johannesburg, began Monday as the EcoMobility World Festival took off. Organisers said the festival aims to demonstrate the possibilities and benefits of urban mobility without dependency on private cars in a city. →

Analyst cautions that nuclear construction in SA will not be fast

By: Keith Campbell 2nd October 2015 Energy analyst and EE Publishers MD Chris Yelland warned recently against excessive optimism regarding timescales for the proposed construction of new nuclear power plants (NPPs) in South Africa. He was speaking at a Nuclear Roundtable in Johannesburg. “I think we need to temper our optimism with... →

GIBB to expand environmental solutions footprint through acquisition

By: Megan van Wyngaardt 29th September 2015 Engineering consulting firm GIBB has acquired environmental solutions consultancy Strategic Environmental Focus (SEF), more than doubling the size of its environmental team. GIBB environmental services sector GM Dr Urishanie Govender said the move enabled the company to deliver broader... →

Motorists warned of traffic disruptions in Sandton

By: African News Agency 29th September 2015 Motorists are urged to be ready for traffic disruptions in the Sandton area due to the dry-runs being done ahead of the EcoMobility World Festival kicking off in October, the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) said on Tuesday. “The traffic will be affected from peak time this morning. As... →

Bioregional planning important for SEZs, says consulting firm

By: David Oliveira 25th September 2015 Bioregional planning will play an important role in determining land-use limitations in special economic zones (SEZs), such as industrial development zones, says global consultancy SRK Consulting principal environmental scientist Warrick Stewart. He tells Engineering News that bioregional... →

SEEKING HARMONY Bioregional planning promotes effective land use for various development activities, while ensuring that biodiversity is maintained

OECD: Fuel subsidies outstrip cash needed to fight climate change

By: News24Wire 22nd September 2015 Considerably more government money has been invested worldwide in subsidies for fossil fuels than would be needed to fight climate change, according to a study released on Monday by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The report said that in addition to distorting... →

Photo by Duane Daws
OECD secretary-general Jose Angel Gurria

Efforts stepped up in climate change

By: SANews, SA government news service 15th September 2015 South Africa has stepped up efforts to reduce the country’s vulnerability to the impacts of climate change, says Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa. “To ensure that our country’s food, water, energy security and infrastructure are not negatively impacted by climate change we have... →

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Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa

CSIR projects drastic temperature increase over Africa

By: Megan van Wyngaardt 10th September 2015 The upcoming summer season in Southern Africa, between December and February, could be the warmest ever recorded, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) principal researcher Dr Francois Engelbrecht said on Thursday. A new study, entitled 'Projections of rapidly rising surface... →

Obama urges climate action, or else...

By: News24Wire 2nd September 2015 US President Barack Obama urged an international conference on the Arctic on Monday to unite now to slow climate change, or else face a dire future. "The climate is changing faster than our efforts to address it," he warned the US-hosted Glacier conference in Anchorage, Alaska. "That, ladies and... →

Climate change impeding SA farmers in fields and with financiers, insurers

By: Creamer Media Reporter 1st September 2015 South Africa’s crop farmers are expected to struggle as they look to secure crop financing and insurance cover needed to successfully cultivate a crop and mitigate the risk of failure owing to climate variations, with the upcoming maize planting season looming, says Nedbank Corporate and... →

South Africans urged to become more aware of their water footprints

By: Anine Kilian 28th August 2015 It is predicted that, in the next five years, water demand could outstrip supply in South Africa, says Nedbank Sustainability Carbon Specialist Dr Marco Lotz. With increasing population numbers and urbanisation, the debate regarding the amount of investment in water and the possibility of future... →

New emissions regulations impact industry

By: Donna Slater 14th August 2015 Proposed emissions-reduction regulations, which are not yet in effect but will be enforced through mandatory reporting, carbon taxes and industry-specific ‘carbon budgets’, will act as a behavioural mechanism to force greenhouse-gas (GHG) emitters to reduce their emissions and energy use, as part... →

Photo by Bloomberg
REDUCING GREENHOUSE GASES South Africa has pledged to contribute towards a low-carbon economy

Oxfam calls for 'one million climate jobs' in SA

By: RDM News Wire 31st July 2015 More than 10% of South Africans “live in extreme poverty” on less than R16 a day‚ according to an Oxfam report to be released on Friday. “South Africa faces the triple challenge of poverty‚ inequality and unemployment‚” the Oxfam report said. →

Scientists say there is ‘no debate’ that SA is experiencing a ‘water crisis’

By: Terence Creamer 29th July 2015 Leading water scientists say it is no longer debatable that South Africa is experiencing a water crisis given that there are already serious problems in supplying enough water of sufficient quality to meet the country’s social and economic needs. Council for Scientific and Industrial Research... →

Climate change challenge in communicating with public on policy – UK science adviser

By: News24Wire 20th July 2015 While moving humanity away from fossil fuels was critical to its survival, the onus was on politicians and scientists "to bring the public with them". Speaking at the National Advisory Council on Innovation's roundtable on energy choice in Pretoria on Friday, Sir Mark Walport, chief scientific... →

Power event partners with local organisations

By: Bruce Montiea 3rd July 2015 In the interest of being accepted by local communities, events such as Power-Gen Africa (PGA) should partner with local organisations such as coal and energy nonprofit trust the Fossil Fuel Foundation (FFF), says FFF media and web liaison manager Denise O'Callaghan. PGA will be held from July 15... →

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GENERATING COLLABORATION Events such as Power-Gen Africa are beneficial to Africa’s power sector

Power-Gen Africa highlights renewables storage

By: Bruce Montiea 3rd July 2015 Renewable alternative energy solutions promoter the Southern African Alternative Energy Association (SAAEA) will chair a debate on renewable-energy storage at this year’s Power-Gen Africa (PGA) event, to be held from July 15 to 17 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. SAAEA energy... →

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IMPORTANT DEBATE Renewable-energy storage is a pressing issue in Africa

UK cluster launches industrial CCS plan

1st July 2015 The Carbon Capture and Storage Association (CCSA) on Wednesday welcomed the launch by the Teesside Collective – a cluster of industries in the UK – of a plan to develop Europe’s first industrial carbon capture and storage (CCS) cluster in the Tees Valley. The plan comprised two phases; the first... →

Greenhouse gas offenders could face R10m fine, 10-yr sentence

By: Megan van Wyngaardt 23rd June 2015 Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa has published the Draft National Greenhouse Gas Emission Reporting Regulations in the Government Gazette for public comment. The new regulations sought to penalise people convicted of an offence in terms of the regulations to a fine not exceeding... →

Mankind finally waking up to climate change and world poised to act – French COP21 negotiator

By: African News Agency 22nd June 2015 Ever larger and more frequent weather disasters around the world are fuelling pessimism that we can curb man-made climate change before its too late. But Laurence Tubiana is more optimistic than apocalyptic. She believes mankind is finally getting the message about the damage it is inflicting on... →

African Progress Panel calls for investment to lower carbon emissions

By: Megan van Wyngaardt 10th June 2015 The Africa Progress Panel has called on African countries that emit the most carbon emissions to raise their level of ambition, adding that governments in these countries should place stringent prices on emissions of greenhouse gases by taxing it, instead of encouraging it by spending billions on... →

African Ministers call for strong universal climate agreement

By: Megan van Wyngaardt 20th April 2015 Ministers from governments across Africa have renewed their call for a strong, new universal climate-change agreement and increased flows of funds, including through market and finance opportunities, sufficient to fulfil Africa’s development aspirations, at the day-long ministerial segment at... →

Climate change under fire at summit

By: Megan van Wyngaardt 16th April 2015 Climate change, with a particular focus on limiting global temperature rise to less than 2 °C, would be under the spotlight at the first-ever Business & Climate Summit, to be held at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation headquarters, in Paris, on May 20 and 21.... →

South Africa’s COP 21 contribution needs stakeholder consultation

By: Mia Breytenbach 27th March 2015 Appropriate stakeholder consultation for South Africa’s intended nationally determined contribution (INDC) to climate change is key to ensuring transparent interaction and practical proposals ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference, otherwise known as the Conference of the Parties... →

GREEN POTENTIAL In tabling its intended contribution for COP 21, South Africa should acknowledge green contributions already under way

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GREEN POTENTIAL In tabling its intended contribution for COP 21, South Africa should acknowledge green contributions already under way

Agri sector shows interest in carbon calculator initiative

By: Mia Breytenbach 27th March 2015 In addition to registering significant growth in the number of wine cellars calculating their carbon emissions, the South African Fruit and Wine Industry Confronting Climate Change (CCC) initiative has, over the past year, noted increased interest from other commodity groupings, such as grains... →

PARTICIPATION INCREASE
The South African Fruit and Wine Industry Confronting Climate Change initiative focuses on supporting emerging farmers to calculate their carbon footprint

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PARTICIPATION INCREASE The South African Fruit and Wine Industry Confronting Climate Change initiative focuses on supporting emerging farmers to calculate their carbon footprint

Industry needs pool of professionals to assist with carbon tax

By: Mia Breytenbach 27th March 2015 Considering National Treasury’s confirmation last month that carbon tax would be introduced in 2016, with a draft Carbon Tax Bill to be introduced later this year to allow for more public comment, industry needs carbon tax experts to assist it in managing carbon tax, says carbon emission... →

CARBON EVALUATION Carbon management is key in assisting South Africa to reach its contribution to climate change mitigation goals and the 34% reduction in carbon emissions

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CARBON EVALUATION Carbon management is key in assisting South Africa to reach its contribution to climate change mitigation goals and the 34% reduction in carbon emissions

Industry lacks water security awareness, requires risk navigation

By: Mia Breytenbach 27th March 2015 Despite a global understanding and emphasis on water as a scarce resource, South Africa is not taking sufficient cognisance of the future risk of water security and its potential impact on business, and the domestic, industrial and mining sectors, says research and consulting firm EY climate... →

DRAINING RESOURCE
The World Economic Forum’s ‘Global Risks 2015’ report rates water crises as “the greatest risk” worldwide, with water scarcity also being a key risk

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DRAINING RESOURCE The World Economic Forum’s ‘Global Risks 2015’ report rates water crises as “the greatest risk” worldwide, with water scarcity also being a key risk

Energy Indaba set to expand by 20%

By: Donna Slater 13th February 2015 Organisers of the 2015 Africa Energy Indaba expect more than 2 000 visitors to attend the conference, a 20% increase, compared with the attendance figures of last year’s event, which, in turn, registered a year-on-year increase in attendance of 23% from 2013 to 2014. →

CONTINENT-WIDE COOPERATION
African energy leaders need to discuss the implications of low oil prices on gas developments and on the diversity of the continent’s energy mix

Photo by Reuters
CONTINENT-WIDE COOPERATION African energy leaders need to discuss the implications of low oil prices on gas developments and on the diversity of the continent’s energy mix

Trading demo showcases readiness to exchange carbon offsets in SA

29th January 2015 A trading demonstration has showcased the applicability, functionality, utility and readiness of the well-established, commercial and financial electronic infrastructure provided by private-sector commodity registry Silocerts and the JSE as a potential platform for the exchange of carbon offsets... →

Study holds up policy certainty as key green-technology enabler

By: Terence Creamer 28th January 2015 A newly released study has identified policy certainty and coherence as a “critical enabling factor” for the accelerated adoption and roll-out of green technologies across various industry subsectors in South Africa, including the coal-heavy electricity sector. Entitled ‘The State of Green... →

The State of Green Technologies in South Africa panel chairperson Professor Eugene Cloete on the prevailing challenges and the report's recommendations. Camera Work & Editing: Nicholas Boyd. Recorded: 28.1.2015.

New solar plant to add 216 GWh/y to local grid

27th January 2015 The 94.3 MWp Sishen solar photovoltaic (PV) plant, in the Northern Cape, was expected to deliver 216 GWh/y of electricity into power utility Eskom’s national grid. The plant, which was built by Spanish firm Acciona and commissioned by Spanish consulting firm Enertis, featured 319 600 PV modules,... →

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